Apparatus for handling strands



Dec. 11, 1945. I J. A. 'WAGNER 2,390,904

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING STRANDS Filed July 14, 1944 2.SheetsS heet 1 INVENTOR J.A WAGNER BY wil AT'TORNEY Dec. 11, 1945. J. A. WAGNER 2,399,904

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING swamps Filed July 14, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VE N TOR Airman J. A. WAGNER Patented Dec. 11,

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING s'rnanns Julius A. Wagner, Cleveland Heights, Ohio; assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporyatellti, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Application July 14, 1944, Serial No. 544,942

4 Claims. (Cl. 66-163) This invention relates to apparatus for handling strands are more particularly to safety devices for strand handling apparatus.

In knitting a plurality of strands into textile I cured to the upper end of the shaft 22. It the cam 26 is rotated in either direction, one o1 the lobes 21-21 strikes a spring-pressed button 29 of a microswitch 29, whereby the normally closed contacts of the microswitch, which contacts con- ,nect a pair of insulated conductors 34-34, are

coverings for conductors, occasionally one of the 5 strands breaks, and unless the knitting machine opened to stop the driving means (not shown) of is stopped, the covering subsequently applied to the apparatus.

the conductor on which .the covering is knitted A collar 30 (Fig. 3) formed on the shaft 22 is will be imperfectly formed. provided with a plurality of slots ill-3| spaced An object of the invention is to provide new 1 around the periphery thereof. Each of aplurality and improved apparatus for handling strands. of L-shaped levers 32-32 is pivotally mounted in One device embodying the invention comprises one Of the slots 3l-3l and one of a plurality of a holder for a strand supply, means for advancing grooved rollers 35-35 ismounted on one of the a strand from the strand supply holder, and ends of each of the levers 32-32. The rollers means for stopping the advancing means com- 1 35-35 are designed to engage strands 36- 6 prising means for deenergizing the apparatus, a which are drawn by the knitting head H) from cam for actuating the deenergizing means, an a plurality of cops such as a cop, 31 (Fig. 1), which oscillating member, and means normally engagare mounted around the, knitting head In in ing a strand being advanced for connecting the spaced relationship. A plurality of conventional cam with said oscillating means to actuate the braking discs 39-39 serve to tension the strands deenergizing means whenever the tension on said 36-36 -as the strands pass under the rollers strand is less than a predetermined amount. 35-35 to the knitting head Ill, whereby the lower A clear understanding of the invention may be ends of the levers 32-32, as viewed in- Fig. 1, obtained from the following detailed description areheld away from the disc l9 and the shaft 22 of one embodiment thereof, when read in con- 25 is held against rotation with resp to the h l" junction with the appended drawings, in which ing 24.

Fig. 1 is a vertical fragmentary elevation, in When-the knitting machine is energized, the partial section, of an apparatus embodying the knitting head In (Fig. 1) knits the strands 36-36 invention; 7 into a covering 40 upon a conductor 4| which Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the apis advanced through the shaft 22 and the knittin paratus taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1; head II) by a capstan 42 driven by the driving Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the means (not shown).

.apparatus taken along line 3-3 of Fig.1, and In the operation of the apparatus described Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the hereinabove, the driving meansis ac t0 apparatus taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 1. drive the knitting head It), the capstan 42 and the Referring now to the drawings, a knitting head shaft 12, whereby the conductor 4| 'is advanced l0 (Fig. 1) forming a part of a conventional type through the knitting head, the covering is of a knitting machine (not shown) is driven by formed on the conductor as the conductor is suitable driving means (not shown) well'known drawn through the knitting head, and the disc I to the art of knitting, as is the rest of the knitting I9 is oscillated with respect to the shaft 22. As machine. The driving means also rotates a shaft long as all of the strands 36-36 are continuous I: (Fig. 4) having a rotary disc IS secured therebetween the braking discs 35-35 and the knitting to. One end of. a link l6 secured to an arm ll head It), the shaft 22 is held stationary with reformed on a disc I9 is connected eccentrically to spect to the bearing 24 by the tensioned Strands the disc l5 by a pin 20. Thus, when the knitting 45 36-33, which, at this time, also hold the levers machine is driven, the disc I9 is oscillated by the 32-32 out of the notches link l8, which is reciprocated by the disc ii. The If any or the strands 33-39 breaks or any of disc i9 is rotatably secured upon a hollow shaft the cops, such as the cop 31 becomes exhausted, 22 (Figs. 1 and 4) which is rotatably mounted in th t strand will be drawn from between the a vertical bearing 24 in alignment with the knitbraking discs sa-as, and the outer end of that ting head 10. A plurality of notches 23-23 proone of the levers 32-32, previously supp vided in the periphery of the disc I9 are spaced ,thereby, will fall. When one ofthe levers 32-32 I equally therearound. falls, the lower end thereof, as viewed in Fig. 1

A cam 28 having lobes 21-21 '(Fig. 2) is sewill be urged into one of the notches 25-23 as the notch is m ovedopposite thereto. As the lever :2 enters thenotch 2s and the disc II is" rotated, the shaft 22 will becarried therewith and one of the lobes I'l-Tlwill strike the spring pressed button a to open the contacts of the microswitch 29, whereby the ,driving means will b opped and the knitting machine, the capstan and the shaft I! will come to a stop. The operator may then splice the broken strand 3', if it has been broken, or replace an exhausted cop if that is the trouble, and the operation then may be continued.

The apparatus described hereinabove preventsthe continuation or a knitting operation whenever a strand 36 is broken orexhausted and accomplishes this result with only asingle m1cr0 switch regardless of the number-oi the strands "-38 being formed into the covering.

What is claimed is:

1. In a. strand supplying apparatus, a holder advanced from said holder for" positively connect land a plurality of grooved rollers secured upon the ends of the dogs for enga ing strands beins withdrawn from the cops to hold the dogs out of notchesin the disc when the slack in the is below a predetermined amount, said dogs: being designed to e e the notches in the disc to rotate the shaft and the cam thereon to open the switch andstop Said knitting head and said advancing means whenever the slack in the strands exceeds said predetermined amount.

4. In an apparatus for. knitting strands upon conductors, a plurality of cop-holders, a knitting head'including a plurality of knittingneedles and to form a knitted covering over a, conductor,

ing said Oscillating means to said cam to actuate said switch whenever said strand fails to support the end of said member;

2. In a strand supplying apparatus, a holder for a strand supply, means for advancing a strand from said holder, and-means for stopping said advancing means, comprising a microswitch for stopping the advancing meanswwhen the contacts thereof are opened, a 'cam having a lobe formed thereon for opening the contacts of said microswitch, a disc having notches formed in the periphery thereof and mounted for rotation about the axis of the cam, means for oscillating said disc about the'axis of the cam, and a lever pivotally secured to said cam having one end thereof normall supported by a strand beingadvanced for entering one of said notches whenever said strand fails to support the end of'said lever.

serving to withdraw a plurality of textile strands from a pluralit of cops held by said cop-holders means for advancing such a conductor through said knitting head, and means for controlling the operation of said knitting head and said advancing means comprising a, shaft aligned with the knitting head and having a passage through which a conductor to be covered may be drawnya switch for deenergizing the knitting head when the contacts thereof areopened, a cam mounted on said shaft for opening the contacts of said switch, a disc having a plurality of radial notches formed therein rotatably mounted on said shaft, a plurality of L-shaped arms pivotally ,secured to said shaft around the peripher thereof, one end or each of said arms being designed to engage a strand being drawn to said knitting head, whereby the other end of each of said-arms is held out of engagement with said disc when the slack in the strand remains below a predetermined amount, each of said arms falling into one of said notches when the 3. In an apparatus for knittingstrands upon I conductors, a plurality of cop-holders, a; knitting head including a plurality of knitting needles servingtowithdraw textilestrands from cops held by said cop-holders and form a; knitted covering over a conductor, means for advancing a conductor through said knitting head, and

1 means for controlling the operation of said knitslack in a strand engaged by that arm is greater than said predetermined amount so that the shaft and the disc become positively interlocked, and means. for; oscillating said disc to oscillate said shaft and said cam on the occurrence of such an interlocking between the shaft and the disc, whereby the contacts of said switch are opened by the cam.

' JULIUS A. WAGNER. 

